Director, Data Science – Pharmacy Data Science

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

About the Role

As a Director, Data Science for the Pharmacy Data Science team, you will lead a team of data scientists focused on driving innovation, delivering actionable insights, and delivering affordability for UHC Pharmacy. The scope of the team covers Pharmacy and Medical drugs claims, with the team owning

• Tools to support PDL (Prescription Drug List) Strategy
• Using innovative and advanced analytics to deliver insights into member use patterns and behaviour (including predictive modelling)
• Partnering with Optum to manage generic drug pricing
• Leverage business and data knowledge to identify opportunities for enhanced rebates, reduced trend, or improved member experience

Your work will directly contribute to improving healthcare affordability, operational efficiency, and member experience for millions of people, all while doing your life’s best work℠.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the Pharmacy Data Science team, empowering the team to deliver high-quality solutions across multiple initiatives
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams to design data-fueled solutions aligned with business objectives including member journey analytics, and utilisation management
• Partner with Optum on generic drug pricing management to maximise value for UHG
• Mentor and provide guidance to team members to ensure statistical integrity, accuracy, and adequacy across all analytics processes
• Analyze, review, and interpret complex data to identify drivers of trends, uncover affordability opportunities, and enable the team to optimise processes and outcomes
• Develop and influence the design of analytical tools and dashboards to monitor patterns and performance across key business metrics
• Collaborate with subject-matter experts and stakeholders to explore business problems and design innovative solutions using data-driven approaches

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, statistics, bioinformatics, actuarial science, or similar numerical discipline
• Leadership experience within a Data Science or Advanced Analytics environment, including oversight of teams
• Understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, medical claims billing, and associated data environments
• Proven ability to deliver analytics projects that provide measurable business value
• Experience working with complex datasets, applying computational algorithms, statistical methods, and programming techniques to derive actionable insights
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and programming languages such as SQL, Python, R, or similar
• Ability to break down complex problems, design solutions, and communicate findings effectively to diverse audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in applied mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, statistics, bioinformatics, actuarial science, or a related field.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams or collaborating across departments to achieve shared goals.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.